A 16-year-old hiker required an emergency rescue from a British Columbia mountain last week after relying on the AI chatbot Claude to plan his route. The teenager, identified as Bryce Vincent Gowryluk, is a keen indoor climber who took a gondola to the top of Grouse Mountain on Saturday morning. His goal was to trek to the nearby Crown Mountain and back, a journey that typically takes eight hours and is cautioned against for beginners due to its difficulty. The summit is known for offering 360-degree panoramic views of Greater Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, and the Capilano watershed.
While ascending, Gowryluk asked Claude to plan a route for his trek. However, as he navigated down the Crown Pass, through the Crater Slabs, and into a boulder-strewn valley, the directions provided by the AI steered him away from the planned course. He eventually found himself at the final headwall of the Widowmaker Arete, a 1,700-foot wall that is deceptively described as “mostly easy slab climbing” but actually requires ropes, cameras, and a clear plan for ascent. As he climbed, Gowryluk realized the terrain was far too steep and became stranded at the base of a cliff.
After phoning his mother and subsequently calling emergency services, local police alerted North Shore Rescue. Because the boy was positioned too close to the rock face for the helicopter rotors, two members of the rescue team were hoisted down to extract him. He was then flown to the rescue base located near the Cleveland Dam.
This incident follows a similar rescue in July, where three individuals were saved on the Howe Sound Crest Trail after using Google Maps, which provided inaccurate time estimates for their journey. Paul Markey, a search manager with North Shore Rescue, warned that hikers and mountaineers should not trust AI systems for route planning. He noted that such systems lack the spatial awareness and practical experience required for mountaineering, stating, “You can’t just blindly follow what AI is proposing to you. You need to question the information and just see whether it makes sense or not.”
On Saturday morning, Gowryluk took a gondola up to the top of Grouse Mountain and, while ascending, asked Claude to plan a route to nearby Crown Mountain and back. After navigating scree and more than 2,000 feet of elevation gain, the summit promises 360-degree panoramic views of Greater Vancouver, the Fraser Valley an
In July, three people were rescued after they planned a route on the Howe Sound Crest Trail using Google Maps, which gave them wildly inaccurate time estimates, suggesting a route that often takes as many as 14 hours could be done in just over five.
